Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez read the screened questions for team president Paul Beeston, general manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons at the annual state of the union address on Wednesday night at the Rogers Centre.

One season ticket holder asked Beeston if Rogers Communications was committed to spending on the Jays considering the parent company’s other expenditures.

“John ... want to handle this one?” Beeston asked Gibbons.

“I don’t know, Paul, it’s a bad year to ask for a raise,” Gibbons replied to laughter from the roughly 1,000 season ticket holders in attendance.

Beeston did answer the question, saying that Rogers approved bumping team payroll from $90 million US to $125 million last year knowing the further obligations would climb $22 million with increases to Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes and R.A. Dickey alone.

“They can sign an NHL TV deal and invest in TFC, we can’t worry,” Beeston said. “We’ve never asked Rogers about a player once where they said no. The Toronto Blue Jays will rank among the top 10 spenders in team salary this year.”

Mellow Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé music played before and after question period. There was not the jazzed up “where do we line up to buy World Series tickets” excitement of a year ago.

“Last year, we sat here full of anticipation,” said Beeston. “This team was not built for one year. It was built to win the World Series. I don’t regret a move we made last year.”

Then, paraphrasing Alfred Lord Tennyson, Beeston added, “I’d rather have tried and failed, than not to have tried at all.”

Anthopoulos said this off season is unlike any other with so many “quality components still available.” He pointed out Michael Bourne signed late with the Cleveland Indians and Kyle Loshe went to the Milwaukee Brewers last spring.

This season, free-agent arms like Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jiminez, Bronson Arroyo and A.J. Burnett are available. Anthopoulos said that the Jays are having dialogue with agents for free agent starters and teams to explore the trade route in an effort to add a starter.

Gibbons said it was important for the Jays to get off to a good start, which won’t be easy as the Jays open with four on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays and open the Rogers Centre with a three-game series against the New York Yankees.

Anthopoulos was asked about the Jays’ policy of not signing players to five-year deals, which flushed the Jays out of bidding on free-agent Masahiro Tanaka, given a seven-year deal from the Yankees.

“I don’t know if our policy has prevented us from obtaining any player,” Anthopoulos said. “Some of those seven- or eight-year deals didn’t work for us. And if you look at some of the 10-year deals signed over the years, they haven’t worked out for teams.”

Beeston said that the Rogers Centre will have a grass field for 2018 and that the Jays have been working with the CFL’s Toronto Argos (to make sure they have a place to play until then) and the University of Guelph (on growing grass indoors).

Before reading a question about the rule change that will prevent collisions at home plate, Martinez said, “if Buster Posey’s name was Buck Martinez this rule never would have been changed.” The San Francisco Giants catcher was injured leading to complains from Giants management. Martinez broke his leg when hit by Phil Bradley while making the first out of the old 9-2-7-2 double play one night in Seattle.

Would Roy Halladay be honoured with a spot on the Level of Excellence, or be given a bobblehead, a fan asked Beeston? Beeston said Halladay would be honoured in some way.

“No one has carte blanche but Roy Halladay is as close as it gets,” Beeston said. “He wanted to retire as a Blue Jay, he wants to work with our young pitchers and he wants to coach his sons’ Little League teams.”

Asked Martinez: “and when is the Buck Martinez bobblehead day?”

Anthopoulos said Moises Sierra, who is out of options, has been taking grounders at first base during winter ball to see if he could be a right-handed platoon bat with Adam Lind.

“We got knocked down a bit, like a fighter,” Beeston said. “Now we have to get back up off the mat. This team was not built for one year. We are still committed to win.”

At the 2012 annual Jays state of the franchise, manager John Farrell, Anthopoulos and Beeston were atop the dugout.

Where will the Jays finish in 2012, Farrell was asked?

A fan wondered where Anthopoulos thought the Jays would be next year?

And Beeston was asked where the Jays would be in the next five years.

“I would expect that we would be in post-season play two to three times,” Beeston said.

The Jays won only 73 games in 2012 and in their all-in season last year climbed all the way to 74.

Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez read the screened questions for team president Paul Beeston, general manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons at the annual state of the union address on Wednesday night at the Rogers Centre.